Suzhou Wanshou Palace

Suzhou Wanshou Palace

Suzhou Wanshou Palace is a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Wanshou Palace is located on Minzhi Road in Suzhou and was listed as a Suzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit in 1963. Since 1951, it has served as a venue for public cultural activities and was once renamed the People's Cultural Palace, with the five characters "People's Cultural Palace" inscribed on its archway by Mr. Guo Moruo. From 1966 onward, the palace suffered from years of neglect. In 1986, after renovation, it was repurposed as the Youth Palace. In 1991, it underwent comprehensive restoration and was then used by the Senior Cadres Activity Center and the Senior University.

In the past, Suzhou was said to have "Three Palaces, Nine Temples, and Twenty-Four Streets," with Wanshou Palace being one of the Three Palaces. Originally built in the 56th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1717) by Jiangsu Governor Wu Cunli, the palace was once surrounded by the Jade Belt River. Inside, it enshrined the Imperial Longevity Plaque (a spirit tablet), and on the Emperor’s birthday—known as the "Birthday of Longevity" or Wanshou Festival—officials from across the city would gather here to hold grand celebratory ceremonies. In the event of an emperor’s passing, the palace would be used to set up a memorial altar for mourning. At other times, it served as the site for receiving imperial edicts.

In the 10th year of the Xianfeng reign (1860), the palace was destroyed in war. It was rebuilt in the 9th year of the Tongzhi reign (1870) by Jiangsu Governor Ding Richang. After the Xinhai Revolution overthrew the imperial system, it became commonly known as the Old Imperial Palace and was once occupied by various civil society groups. Later, due to years of neglect, it gradually fell into ruin. By the time of the liberation of Suzhou in 1949, only the badly damaged main hall, the palace gate, and the ceremonial gate remained standing, while the side halls, corridors, and other auxiliary structures had all collapsed, leaving behind only broken walls, overgrown weeds, and the once-sacred palace grounds reduced to a shelter for homeless people and beggars.

In 1951, the Suzhou Municipal People's Government began renovating the site and listed it as one of the three major municipal construction projects at the time. The palace gate, ceremonial gate, main hall, and screen wall were restored to their original appearance, and a four-pillar, three-bay, three-story stone-pillared wooden structure with glazed tile roofing was relocated and reconstructed in front of the palace gate. The auxiliary buildings on both sides of the central axis were newly constructed, with exteriors that harmonized with the main hall and a symmetrical, well-planned layout that largely preserved the original scale. The main hall faces south, features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, is 21.6 meters wide and 14.4 meters deep, and is fronted by a stone terrace connected to the base. The grand hall, deep courtyard, towering archway, and stately stone lions still make it one of the more intact complexes of palace-style architecture in Suzhou.